CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #405
Fubon Guardians News: Suzuki Shunsuke
On December 4, GO Baseball (a new baseball media outlet led by former ETtoday journalist) reported that the Fubon Guardians have reached a preliminary agreement with Suzuki Shunsuke (鈴木駿輔) for the 2026 CPBL season. The 27-year-old Japanese right-hander will return for his third season in Taiwan.
Although the Guardians have not yet officially confirmed the signing, the article notes that during the offseason, multiple KBO teams reportedly offered contracts to Suzuki Shunsuke under the new KBO Asian Player Quota system. In the end, however, the Guardians managed to secure his commitment. [Update: Guardians confirmed the signing on December 16.]
Fubon Guardians’ Suzuki Shunsuke (鈴木駿輔) struck out 7 over 7 scoreless innings. pic.twitter.com/eyD6znHkld
— CPBL STATS (Taiwan Dark Lemon) 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) September 4, 2025
After a disappointing season in 2024 with the Rakuten Monkeys, Suzuki Shunsuke signed with the Fubon Guardians for the 2025 season as their backup pitcher. He spent much of the season in the minor leagues, patiently waiting for his first-team opportunity.
That opportunity came at the end of August, just a few days before the trade deadline, when the Guardians decided to register Suzuki Shunsuke and promote him to the first team. In his 5 starts, he posted a solid 2.51 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 28.2 innings. While his high 9.5 BB% remains a concern, it was a minor improvement compared to his 2024 performance. Moreover, there were signs of him becoming more consistent with his command in some outings.
As Suzuki Shunsuke continues to adapt to playing in Taiwan and occasionally shows the Guardians that he can deliver solid performances by pitching deeper into games, perhaps the 2026 season could be a breakout year for him in the CPBL?
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a foreign player tracker, and I’ll be updating that list regularly to keep pace with the ever-changing roster shuffle throughout the 2026 CPBL season.